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Corn farmers across Iowa, Midwest face tough decisions

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says only 74 percent of the nation's corn plants have emerged after a soggy spring left many farmers behind schedule.

By DAVID PITT •
Published: June 5, 2013

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DES MOINES, Iowa — It's decision time for many Midwest corn farmers stuck in a very wet spring: Plant late in ground that's been too wet, replant corn in muddy fields or collect crop insurance.

A tractor with cultivator sits idle after being delayed by wet weather earlier this month preventing central Illinois farmers from starting their spring planting of corn crops Monday, May 13, 2013 in Springfield, Ill. A week ago, the USDA reported that just 12 percent of the nation's cornfields have been planted. Yet USDA estimates that while the wet start is expected to reduce the amount each acre produces this year, farmers are planting so much corn that they're still likely to bring in a record amount. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman) ORG XMIT: ILSP102

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said 91 percent of the nation's corn crop is in the ground but just 74 percent of the plants have emerged. But some states — Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and North Dakota — are much further behind.

“We've had as much rain in the last month and a half as we did last whole growing season,” said Kevin Rempp, 55, who farms in central Iowa near Montezuma.

Only 88 percent of Iowa's corn crop has been sowed. Normally, it'd be finished by now. If the skies clear and the growing season is favorable, it's still possible to have an abundant corn harvest, which would help moderate price swings and keep food and beverage prices steady. So far, weather concerns have driven corn prices up nearly 10 percent in the past week and a half.

But farmers can't look too far into future when they're faced with water-logged fields. Wisconsin lags the most with just 74 percent of the crop in the field.

John Ruedinger, 57, has only 100 of his 1,300 acres of corn in and about 50 of the several hundred acres of alfalfa he plans to grow to feed the 1,200 cows on his dairy farm near Van Dyne, Wis.

“The problem is rain keeps coming an inch or two at a time, saturating the heavy clay soil,” he said. “With little sun and temperatures hovering about 10 degrees lower than usual, fields aren't drying.